Report: NOPD faces multiple systemic challenges

By Brendan McCarthyThe New Orleans Times-Picayune

NEW ORLEANS — At the beginning of the year, as murders spiked and public outcry reached an apex, the New Orleans Police Department announced that a high-profile consultant would come to town to assess a police force struggling to control crime and overcome internal struggles.

The exercise produced a 188-page reform blueprint, which the department made public in July as police leaders vowed to "professionalize" operations. Police Superintendent Warren Riley assured he would act quickly on the recommendations, which relied on "community policing" strategies.